Defending Democracy

We have never fully achieved democracy but we have come close to it – until politicians deliberately reigned that progress back in to regain dominance for the ruling class.

None of our governments have ever really had power – the REAL power has always been in the hands of those who own the land, the wealth (and in the past the people) – those who get their political power and continue to dominate us by funding governments and controlling information (the media).

Our votes only allow us to get political power and representation in Parliament – NOT economic power.

The majority view is that all human beings are equal and that our common human goal should be to improve the quality of life for everyone.

However, this is not the dominant view of ‘free market’ which is intensely competitive, totally profit-orientated and based on survival of the fittest principles – the views that dominate us all on a global scale now.

The work we offer is not valued, our skills are undermined, our health comes secondary to our employment, our family welfare has no importance, our environment is regarded as a source of energy & income, Britain and the British are insignificant in relation to money and income.

For years the wealthy have moved their capital from country to country to get the best return. Big businesses have employed people wherever there is the cheapest labour in the world. But now this government is attempting to bring these two ideas together – so that Britain becomes the place where tax is at its lowest for the wealthy and labour is at its cheapest for Big Businesses. A tax haven and cheap labour all rolled into one country - the UK.

If/when we lose our human rights, our workers’ rights and our public service – all being threatened now – it would be game over for democracy and social justice. The battle for our rights would have to start all over again from scratch.

This is why we MUST fight to protect them – or we WILL lose them. History has demonstrated that the only way to achieve some level of democratic rights is by organising - joining together in the fight against being totally dominated yet again by the ruling class (the super wealthy and big businesses).

The dominant class has only ever conceded to some of the needs/request/demands of the majority - in order to hold back their anger and for fear of it leading to violence if they did not.

There is strength in numbers. However, there is a lot of work to do. Many people are influenced by the rhetoric of this government although it fails deliver on a daily basis. And many are sucked in by the views that the media want them to have after relentless, grooming and brainwashing. It’s a bit like fashion, we may not like it when we first see it but we all end up wearing it because that is all there is to buy in the shops, and many of us get so used to it that we even end up liking it.

But we have social media now - so (unless the government shuts this down) there is a lot of work to be done in educating, raising peoples’ awareness to what is happening and changing their perceptions. And it is down to us to do it - because if people know what is happening – they will not accept it.

(Inspired by Tony Benn - whose insight is still valid and of the utmost importance now).